I had a couple of other friends who studied abroad the same semester that I did, and it helped me to exchange stories with them about our experiences and how we were feeling. I definitely felt homesick at times, but it helped a lot knowing that I wasn't the only one. We would cheer each other up with funny stories about our host countries and talk about what we missed from back home. It also helped me to think about all of the wonderful experiences that I was having while abroad. Looking through some of the pictures that I'd taken while there helped me remember why I decided to come and what I had already gained from the experience.

I made sure to stay in touch with important family members and friends! You can schedule a weekly facetime or skype to stay in touch. Snapchat is a useful way to quickly touch base with friends too. I also ate a meal once a week that reminded me of home-- I know that you should really be enjoying your host culture but every once in a while you need to be reminded of the comfort of home.

When I studied abroad, I was a nervous wreck. I was so homesick I could barely stand it. What really helped me was keeping a blog. I made a free one on the first website I could find through Google and shared it a ton through my social media accounts. I received a lot of support and encouragement from everyone back home because they could so easily keep up with how I was feeling and what I was doing. I would highly recommend this!